The last time Doha hosted the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, in 2008, Qatar’s medals tally was seven (three gold, four silver).
Eight years is a long time. Much has happened in the interim, and with it the host nation’s sporting prowess, not just off the field, but on it as well, if one takes into account the performance of the Qatari athletes in the seventh edition of Asian Indoors, which concluded at the state-of-the-art Aspire Dome yesterday.
The host nation topped the medals leaderboard — six gold, one silver and three bronze — to emerge the overall champions of the biennial event, which also witnessed three Asian Indoor records and 13 new championships records being rewrote during its three-day course. Qatar finished ahead of Asian powerhouse China (5-5-3) and Kazakhstan (4-2-4). Bahrain came next (3-5-1), while India were a poor eighth in list (1-3-3), behind Uzbekistan (2-1-1), the UAE (2-0-1) and Iran (1-4-1).
Qatar’s Mohamed al-Garni lit up the final evening when he won his second gold of the event by successfully defending his 3,000m title. It was also his second successive Asian Indoor double triumph.
Biding his time behind Bahraini Albert Rop for much of the race, the Qatari took the lead for good as he entered the back straight for the final time. Unlike the early celebration in Saturday’s 1,500m that likely cost him the Asian record, his finish yesterday was more subdued as he powered through in 7:39.23 to equal the fifth fastest time of the year.
“It wasn’t my plan to stay behind Rop, it was his tactic to make me tired after he watched me running the 1,500m yesterday,” al-Garni said after the race. “I had decided to stay close behind him and once we entered the final straight I stepped up the gear.”
The 23-year-old reiterated that he still was unsure of competing at next month’s World Indoor Championships in the US city of Portland. “My focus is on the Olympics, and I am training hard for that. As for the Worlds, we still have time to decide,” he added.
Rop finished just a few strides behind in 7:40.27 with Qatari Said Aden Said taking the bronze with a personal best of 7:44.69 to collect his second bronze in as many days.
Before al-Garni’s heroics, it was 800m specialist Abdulrahman Musaeb Balla who set the tone for the evening with a thrilling win. It was a strong run for the two-time Asian champion who took command from the outset and kept the lead till the last—with a 1:46.92 championships record timing. “I wanted to win and set a new area record as well, but I haven’t quite recovered after my unsuccessful attempt to beat the Asian record in Stockholm,” said Balla, who clocked 1:45.93 in the Swedish capital, 0.7 seconds outside of Yusuf Saad Kamel’s continental mark. “Nevertheless, a victory is a victory and this is special as it has come here in Doha, in front of the amazing home fans. I expect a good result in Portland too, but my main target is an Olympic medal.”


^{Qatar’s Mohamed al-Garni won his second gold of the event by successfully defending his
3,000m title.}

But it was the battle for silver that was the thrill of the 800m race. Balla’s Qatari teammates Abubaker Haydar Abdalla and Jamal Hairane shadowed Balla, trying to gain and hold position for a host nation sweep. But Mostafa Gholamerza Kordiyani of Iran wouldn’t relent. Heading into the home stretch, first Hairane and then Kordiyani found another gear to overtake Abdalla to finish second and third in 1:48.05 and 1:48.26 respectively.
A similar scenario was played out in the women’s 800m race. Marta Hirpato of Bahrain settled into leading position about 80 metres into the race, with Nimal Waliwarsha Arachchige of Sri Lanka and Japan’s Yume Kitamura giving chase. The order remained the same till the end with Hirpato powering away to win in 2:04.59 to the Sri Lankan’s 2:04.88. Kitamura was later disqualified for a lane infraction, elevating Tatyana Neroznak of Kazakhstan to bronze.
Another successful title defence came courtesy of Abdulazeez Almandeel of Kuwait who prevailed in 7.60 in the 60 metres hurdles. His time was his second national record and championships record in as many days. His teammate Yaqoub Alyouha finished second at 7.65, followed by Zhang Hong Lin (7.73) of China.
In the women’s contest it took a photo reading to separate Kazakhstan’s hurdlers Anastassiya Soprunova and Anastassiya Pilipenko, with the former declared the winner by a scant two one-thousandths of a second as each were credited with 8.17.
The penultimate event, the women’s 4x400m relay, witnessed another Asian record courtesy of Bahrain. The quartet—Alwa Eid Naser, Uwaseun Yusuf Jamal, Iman Essa Jasim and Oluwakemi Adekoya—clocked 3:35.07 to eclipse the mark set by an Indian quartet at these championships in 2008. Qatar won the men’s 4x400m in 3:08.20, also a championships record, more than three seconds clear of runners-up Iran.
Elsewhere, favourite Svetlana Radzivil won the women’s high jump at 1.92m, ahead of teammate Nadiya Dusanova (1.88m) to lead a 1-2 finish for Uzbekistan.
Akihiko Nakamura won the men’s heptathlon to capture Japan’s first gold of the championships, tallying 5831 points. China’s Hu Yufei (5745) was second with Marat Khaaydarov (5619) of Uzbekistan third.


^{Qatar won the men’s 4x400m in 3:08.20, also a championships record, more than three seconds
clear of runners-up Iran. PICTURES: Jayaram}

Zhang Yaoguang of China won the long jump with 7.99m ahead of India’s Prem Kumar Kumaravel (7.92m) and Ming Tai Chan (7.85m) of Hong Kong.
Liu Yang, also from China, was the winner in the men’s shot put with a 19.30m toss.
Qatar Athletic Federation president Major General Dahlan al-Hamad was happy with Qatar’s showing. “Yes, this performance shows that we are improving on a constant basis. The best of training facilities for our athletes and overseas exposure is showing results. But this is just the beginning. We need to win more consistently, and particularly at bigger events like the World Championships and the Olympics,” said al-Hamad, who is also the president of Asian Athletic Association.

RESULTS
Men’s 800m: 1. Musaab Abdelrahman Balla (Qatar) 1:46.92 CR; 2. Jamal Hairan (Qatar) 1:48.05; 3. Mostafa Gholamerza Kordiyani (Iran) 1:48.26  
Women’s 800m: 1. Marta Hirpato Yota (Bahrain) 2:04.59; 2. Nimali Waliwarsha Arachchige (Sri Lanka) 2:04.88; 3. Tatyana Neroznak (Kazakhstan) 2:06.32
Men’s Long Jump: 1. Zhang Yaoguang (China) 7.99; 2. Prem Kumar Kumaravel (India) 7.92; 3. Ming Tai Chan (Hong Kong) 7.85
Men’s 3,000m: 1. Mohamed Al-Garni (Qatar) 7:39.23 CR; 2. Albert Rop (Bahrain) 7:40.27; 3. Said Aden Said (Qatar) 7:44.69
Men’s Shot Put: 1. Liu Yang (China) 19.30; 2. Tian Zizhong (China) 18.88; 3. Om Prakash Singh Karhana (India) 18.77
Women’s High Jump: 1. Svetlana Radzivil (Uzbekistan) 1.92; 2. Nadiya Dusanova (Uzbekistan) 1.88; 3. Zheng Xing Juan (China) 1.84)
Men’s Heptathlon: 1. Akihiko Nakamura (Japan) 5831 points; 2. Hu Yufei (China) 5745; 3. Marat Khaaydarov (Uzbekistan) 5619
Men’s 60m Hurdles: 1. Abdulazeez Almandeel (Kuwait) 7.60 CR; 2. Yaqoub AlYouha (Kuwait) 7.65; 3. Zhang Hong Lin (China) 7.73
Women’s 60m Hurdles: 1. Anastassiya Soprunova (Kazakhstan) 8.17 (8.168); 2. Anastassiya Pilipenko (Kazakhstan) 8.17 (8.168); 3. Valentina Kibalnikova (Uzbekistan) 8.32
Women’s 4x100m Relay: 1. Bahrain (3:35.07); 2. Iran (4:06.51); 3. Jordan (4:10.55)
Men’s 4x400m Relay: 1. Qatar (3:08.20); 2. Iran (3:11.86)